The Path
by blAnk pAgE drEAm
Summary: A few weeks after the supercomputer is shut down, a strange person with no memory emerges from the scanners. Readers vote to choose where the story goes next! On indefinte hiatus.
1. Prologue

**Okay, here's the deal with this new fanfic I'm making. I was bored one day in math class (big surprise) and came up with this idea. At the end of every chapter, I'm going to let there be some sort of decision. Anyone who reads the story can then vote for which they want to have happen. Every Thursday, I shall write a new chapter based on the votes. I'll start the story.**

* * *

The sun climbed slowly out from behind the hills, painting the sky fantastic shades of crimson and gold. Dawn cast its soft glow down upon the roof of the factory. Inside, all was supposed to be still, since there no longer was any threat within. But yet...

The supercomputer was rising up from beneath the floor, spewing cold mist everywhere. No one was there to turn it on, but yet the machine suddenly hummed to life.

In the scanner room, the lights on the scanners flickered on. One of the scanners closed, opening again to reveal a figure within.

And so it came into this world.

* * *

**I'm still not sure if this is going to work out or not. Anyway, the first decision is this:**

**Should the main character be a guy or a girl?**


	2. Reflection

**Okay, I'm updating one day early. Don't expect this to happen regularly. I was just so excited that I couldn't wait. (I know, pathetic, right?) Anyway, "girl" won last week's vote. So, we meet our main charrie.**

* * *

Light flooded into the scanner. She cried out throwing up her hands in front of her. Her eyes, unused to such brightness, stung and watered. After a moment, she became adjusted and looked around. 

The room was a shade of pale yellow. On either side of her stood two gold-and-green scanners, light shining from their bases. Yet even as she watched, the light died away, and the room darkened.

Wondering where she was, she started to get up and found that she could not. Dismayed, she tried again. With great effort, she struggled to her feet. Her body seemed heavy and clumsy for some reason.

She walked over to the metal door on the other side of the room and, since she could think of no other logical thing to do, pressed the large red button. Immediately, the sound of a machine coming to life reached her ears, and a moment later, the door opened to reveal and elevator. She got in and shut the door, feeling her stomach lurch as it took her back to the ground floor.

Getting up the stairs out of the old factory was a pain, but it was worth it when she finally made it out into the now-dazzling sunlight of the earth outside. On the bridge, she paused, looking into the murky depths below. _I wonder what I look like,_ she thought, realizing for the first time that she did not know. She leaned over the side of the bridge and examined the reflection. A faint impression of white, black, and red reached her eyes, but no details. Frustrated, she leaned even farther over the rail, squinting.

She did not entirely know how it had happened. One moment, she was standing on the bridge, the next she was tumbling head over heels. Unable to kick her weak legs hard enough, she sank into the water like a stone. The last thing that she thought as the darkness overtook her was how cruel the world was to only give her these few minutes of living memory.

* * *

**This week's question:**

**Should one of the ex-Lyoko Warriors find her, or should she be found by a stranger and taken to a hospital?**


	3. What's your name?

**It's been decided that the actual update will come on Wednesdays, although I may post an edited version tomorrow. Anyway, the two votes that I got (THANK YOU FOR VOTING!) both agreed that the ex-Lyoko warriors should find our hero. So, here it is.**

**Oh, and one more thing. For this chapter and next chapter, I will be treating the word "She" as her name, since She doesn't have any other name right now. Please, just bear with me.**

* * *

"Help me up." Someone near to her ear was speaking these words. Only half-conscious, She was aware of strong arms around her middle. Suddenly, She felt herself being raised out of the water. 

"Set her down," another voice said, this one seeming to belong to a girl. She was placed gently on the ground.

"Is she alive?" asked a third voice anxiously, this one also a girl's.

"I think so," answered the first. "I'm not sure, though."

She rather wished that She wasn't, though. Every wheezy breath made her lungs burn. She opened Her eyes. Four faces swam before her, blurry. She would have tried to clear her vision, but She had other things on her mind. Turning over onto her stomach, she promptly vomited dirty water all over the ground.

All four of the people jumped back in surprise. "Well, I guess she's alive," the boy in green said dryly.

She started to reply, but instead coughed out more water. "Get it all out," said a girl in black encouragingly, thumping her on the back.

Now that her lungs and stomach were free of dirty water, She took a better look at the group around her. Two boys and two girls looked down at her. One of them, the one in purple with the blonde hair, was soaking. She guessed that he must have been the one who jumped in to save her. The two who had spoken, an Asian girl with dark hair, and a boy with brown hair and green eyes, stood next to each other. A girl with pink hair also looked down on her, concern etched on her face. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Fine," She rasped.

"What made you decide that polluted factory water would be the best place for a swim?" asked the boy in purple, grinning. The brown-hair boy rolled his eyes.

"I was coming out of there-"she nodded to the factory "-and I fell in."

All of them went quiet. "Did you find anything, um, interesting in there?" inquired the girl with black hair.

She nodded. "There was this computer and this room with scanners and-"

"I'll call Jeremie," the boy in green told them, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket.

The rest of the group agreed. She was helped up by pink-haired girl. "What's your name?" she asked.

She thought. At once, so many voices shouted a reply that it made her scream and fall right back to the ground, clutching her head. "Ulrich," She hissed through gritted teeth. "Yumi, Odd, Aelita, Jeremie, William, Franz, XANA…"

There was a sharp intake of breath. "Jeremie, you had better get down here now," said the green-eyed boy before hanging up.

* * *

Back down in the lab, the four began to explain. They were all warriors in a virtual universe called Lyoko, fighting an evil virus named XANA. At least, they had been. XANA had been erased two months ago. They had shut down the supercomputer. Nothing could go in or out of Lyoko anymore. 

She shook her head at this point. This could not be right. After all, She herself had come from the scanners, which they said were the gateways to Lyoko. She had just begun to explain waking up when the doors to the elevator opened.

From inside came two boys. One had thick-rimmed glasses and a blue sweatshirt on. Based on the other four's descriptions, She guessed that this must be Jeremie. The other had tousled black hair and a black-and-red shirt on. William.

"Now, what's so urgent that I had to come back here?" Jeremie asked. "I mean, we already-" He stopped short when he saw her. "Who's that?"

William, however, seemed to recognize her. He went pale. "Oh my god," he whispered. "You're…" He never finished the sentence, instead collapsing to the floor in a heap.

**

* * *

Question 3: Should William have fainted because he is a little sissy boy, (William: HEY!! Me: What? It's true...) or should her appearance have made him somehow ill?**


	4. Don't touch him!

**Today I got up and I was like "Is it Wednesday again? Really?" I've been looking forward to/dreading posting this chapter all week. It's going to be considerable longer than the others, and I'm not looking forward to having to type all of this. Also, the votes were tied. (If you go to the comment section, this may appear not to be the case, but a friend of mine sent a message and voted for William just fainting.) I had no idea what to do about this. I considered doing both, but that seemed like too much of a pain. So, I as the author will get some input. And I choose (drumroll)... William gets sick.**

**Enough talk. Let's get back to our hero.**

* * *

"William!" Yumi, Jeremie, and Aelita all ran over to him. Ulrich and Odd both made moves to, then stopped and looked at each other. Seeming to come to a silent agreement, they instead stayed and watched her intently. She realized that they were guarding her. The thought of this made her sad that they did not trust her, but She also wondered why they were so wary of her.

"Is he okay?" Ulrich asked, not taking his eyes off of her.

"I... I'm not sure," Aelita answered, who was kneeling over next to William. "He... His breathing seems a little labored," she added after a minute.

"We should get him back up to the school," Jeremie said decisively. "He we need to get him to the infirmary."

"Agreed," Aelita said, standing up. "Yumi, if you'll help me..." The girls picked William up gently, Yumi making sure to support his head as they carried William into the elevator.

"What about her?" Odd jerked a thumb back at her, the tone in voice making it sound like She were some kind of object.

"We need to take her with us," Jeremie said. "If she is somehow one of XANA's, we don't want her wrecking the place. And if she's not, she has a lot to answer for."

All seven of them took the elevator back up. Outside, Ulrich and Odd once again stood on either side of her. Being constantly watched like this was making her feel more than a little uncomfortable. Just as She began to consider whether or not to ask if they could back off a little, a cry came from the front of the pack. "William! Thank goodness you're awake. Are you okay?"

Up ahead, She could see William standing on his own. "I'm fine. Listen, that girl, she's..." He stumbled slightly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Aelita asked.

"I feel kind of weird, I..." William suddenly collapsed forward.

"William!" She heard Yumi say, then, "Oh my god. Call the hospital."

She quickened her pace, and saw Ulrich and Odd to the same. William was lying on the ground next to a puddle of blood, breathing raggedly. Yumi had knelt next to him, and he was breathing something into her ear. Her eyes widened as she heard whatever it was that he had said.

"Is he okay?" She started to ask. She did not know him, but still, She felt a little concerned. She bent over to examine him.

"Don't touch him!" Yumi snarled. "Don't get near him."

She backed away. Why was Yumi suddenly so hostile?

"Don't let her near him!" Yumi continued, adressing the rest of the group.

"Why?" Aelita asked.

"William just told me who she is, what she is," Yumi said, pointing a finger at her. "He told me that she's XANA."

* * *

They were at the hospital. William, along with Yumi, Jeremie, and Odd had been taken to the hospital via ambulance. The rest of them had to walk. And, somehow, She found that She was being dragged along as well. Aelita and Ulrich were both watching her like a hawk as they headed into William's room. "Keep her away from him," Jeremie said automatically as they walked in the door. 

She sighed and sat down as far away from William as She could get. "I'm not going to hurt him," She stated, though knew it wouldn't make any difference.

Ulrich laughed humorlessly. "Right. He just coughed up blood on his own, right?"

"No, but... I swear, I didn't do anything. At least, I don't think..." She trailed away.

The room was silent for a moment. "Okay," said Odd at length. "Let's just say we believe you for a moment."

"You don't honestly think-" Yumi started indignantly.

"We don't know anything yet," Odd replied, unusually serious. "Let's just pretend for a moment that we believe her. Where did you come from?"

"I told you, I don't remember," She said tiredly. "The first thing I remember is getting out of the scanners."

"But that's impossible!" Jeremie exclaimed. "The computer was shut down, there's no way..." He stopped as he saw his friends' faces. All of them had the same guilty expression. "There's no way anything could come out of the computer, right?"

Odd shifted slightly. Ulrich blinked. Yumi could not meet Jeremie's eyes. Aelita just sighed. "No_thing _could come out of the Super Computer, Jeremie. But... After we shut down the computer, I went back without you and I made a program that would... It searches the Super Computer and all of the Replikas for human life forms. I was hoping to find my father with it. That's... That's why we were at the factory today. We were coming back to check the scan."

Even from where She was sitting at the back of the room, She could see Jeremie literally shaking with rage. "And you thought it was a good idea to not tell me?" he asked, voice trembling almost as much as his body. "You turned the Super Computer back on and didn't even tell me?"

"It wasn't back on, Einstien," Odd started. "Just on standby."

"You still should have told me! We're supposed to be a team."

"And we're sorry that we didn't tell you," Ulrich added. "We were just afraid that you-"

"Might act the way I am now?" Jeremie demanded, his voice rising. "Of course I would have! We have don't have the faintest idea what might be in there!"

"Jeremie, please, calm down," Aelita hissed as William gave a little moan in his sleep. "You'll wake him."

Jeremie seemed reluctant to stop yelling now that he had started, but fell silent all the same. It was a good thing, too, for right at that moment, the nurse walked in. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"We're friends of William's," Yumi explained. "I'm Yumi, this is Ulrich, Jeremie, Aelita, Odd, and..." She realized her mistake too late. None of them knew what She should be called.

**

* * *

**

**Question 4: Something a little different. (I think you may have seen this coming.) An open-answered question! What should our hero's name be?**


	5. I believe you

**No time for a rant today. I've got homework to do after this long, long chapter. After careful consideration, I've decided that her name will be...**

**Actually, you need read to find that out.**

**

* * *

**

She felt her heart skip a beat. Glancing around anxiously, She noticed that the rest of the group was looking to Odd. (It was later explained to her that they let him choose the name, since he was always the best at coming up with them.)

Odd was visibly struggling. "This is... XAN... Xandra. Her name is Xandra."

The nurse raised her heavily penciled eyebrows at his hesitation. "Well, I need to check up on him. You six can come back in an hour or two when his parents have arrived, okay?"

She, newly dubbed Xandra, attempted to mirror the glum expressions on the others' faces. "Okay," Yumi sighed.

"Wait," said a hoarse voice from the bed. William was awake. "I need to talk to my friends. Just for a moment, okay?" He stared imploringly at the nurse.

Clearly torn, the nurse looked from one pleading face to the next. "Fine," she answered at last. "I'll be back in two minutes. You had better be gone when I return."

As soon as they were sure that she was out of earshot, the Lyoko warriors started in on questions. "Are you alright, William?" "What happened?" "You gave us all a heart-"

William held up his hands to stop them. "We don't have time right now. Is she here?"

None of them had to wonder who he was talking about. Wordlessly, they all moved aside so that William had a clear view of Xandra. He beckoned her closer. Xandra obeyed, hoping that he, at least, would back up her story. She felt his blue-grey eyes burn into her, taking in the details of her face.

"It's exactly the same," he murmured. "I can't remember much, but... The face..." His eyes met hers. "Except the eyes," he said at last. "XANA's eyes were black. You're not...?"

Xandra shook her head vigorously. "I'm telling the truth," she said, a note of desperation in her voice.

William was silent for a moment longer. "I believe you," he said at length. He looked over her shoulder at the rest of the group. "I believe you," he repeated, loud enough to be sure that they had heard.

Yumi, Ulrich, and Jeremie seemed to be ready to argue, but the nurse had seemed to conclude that they had had enough time, for she came bustling back into the room and promptly shooed them away.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they were all back at the factory, and in debate. Yumi and Jeremie refused to believe that Xandra was not XANA. Odd and Aelita, however, seemed to have reached the conclusion that William would know best, and were no defending Xandra. Ulrich, for his part, was silent.

"We can't just take William's word for it," said Jeremie.

"Why not?" Odd shot back. "After all, he was the one who identified Xandra as XANA is the first place."

"He's just getting his memories back," Yumi argued. "They might be a little hazy. Besides, pretty much everything that comes out of the scanner is bad news."

"The scanner is the only reason that I'm here, remember?" Aelita's gaze was so icy, Xandra felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise, even though it was not aimed at her. She was standing in the back of the room, quietly, as her fate was debated.

"She didn't mean it like-"

"I know she didn't. But we have to be open to the fact that their might have been someone else trapped in Lyoko, as I was." Aelita hesitated for a moment before adding, "And even if we did decide that she was XANA. What would we do? Kill her?"

A heavy silence fell in the group. All of them were thinking the same thing - they could not do that, of course. If they were wrong...

"I think it's decided then," Ulrich said, piping up for the first time in the conversation. They all voted. It was unanimous. Xandra could stay.

* * *

The decision was quickly made that Xandra should attend the school. After all, it would be easier to keep an eye on her from there. Xandra did not argue. (Even if she had, she doubted that it would have made much difference.) It was a place to stay, and the Lyoko warriors might be able to help her recover her lost memories. So, after some clever computer work on Jeremie's part, the nameless girl from the scanner quickly became Xandra Ivy Lee, student at Kadic Academy

Xandra shouldered her backpack full of new supplies. (Everyone had pitched in to buy her basic supplies.) Today was her first day at the Kadic, and at the moment, she was headed to the principal's office for her room assignment. She followed the little map that Odd had drawn for her on a scrap of paper and found her way into the administration building. The receptionist, a stern-faced woman with stringy blonde hair, led her in.

"Ah," Principal Delmas said, clicking a button on his computer to close a window. Xandra heard the distinct jingle of a game come to an abrupt halt. "Miss Lee. Welcome to Kadic Academy. I hope that we..."

Xandra let him bluster on, wearing a mildly interested expression while not really listening in the slightest.

"Now," he said at last, "we have a bit of a shortage on rooms in the dormitory, at the moment. We currently have two girls living without roommates..."

* * *

**Question 5: Should Xandra bunk with Sissi, or with Aelita?**


	6. Don't ever touch my stuff, got it?

**Yes, I know that I said that I would post this on Saturday. Yes, I know that this is a day late as it is. My apologies. I was detained first by a cold, then by two huge projects that were both due today. But those are done now. And that leaves me to write a long-awaited chapter. **

**We were in another tie. (Sky always seems to vote with the minority. :P) I really, REALLY did not want to make this decision. It seriously came down to "There's still a tie? Oh, crap... Okay, I've got to go find a quarter..."**

**In the end, Sissi won. That means more work for me. Sigh... Let's get started.**

* * *

"Aelita Stones doesn't have a roommate yet." 

Xandra's heart leapt, then sank. Though she would have liked to stay with Aelita, who was always very kind to her, Xandra knew that she could not. If Jeremie and Yumi were right, andXandra really did turn out to be XANA, staying with Aelita would be a huge risk. Xandra did not feel like XANA, but... There was no way to be sure.

"And my own daughter, Elizabeth, does not have a roommate either," Principal Delmas continued. He waited expectantly for her reply.

Xandra made her decision. "I'd like to stay with her, then," shetold him."Elizabeth." Delmas paled visibly. "Or not," Xandra added hastily. "I'm okay with-"

"No, no," Delmas said, recovering remarkably fast. "This arrangement is fine."

"This is your room," Delmas said, taking out a little gold key and opening the door. "We'll have you- Oh, Elizabeth, you're still here!" 

A girl with long black hair and narrow blue eyes whirled around, half her face covered in makeup. "Daddy!" she screeched. "I told you never to come in without knocking and... Who is that?" She had spotted Xandra.

"This is Xandra Lee," Delmas answered before Xandra could say anything. "She's going to be a new your new roommate."

Elizabeth jumped up. "What!" she howled.

"Now, Elizabeth, calm down..."

She refused to calm down, however. Instead, she grabbed his sleeve and dragged him out of the room into the hallway. Xandra watched their conversation curiously, trying to read their lips. She distinctly saw the words "school board" and "favoritism". Smirking, she put her bags down in the corner of the room and looked around. Everything about the room struck her as - there was no other word for it - girly. The bed was covered in pillows, and the shelves were all covered in plushies, perfumes, and makeup. A picture of a boy-band on the wall, along with a photograph of someone that Xandra recognized as Ulrich. She wondered briefly if they were friends, but decided that this was not likely. Her eyes fell on the lighted mirror that Elizabeth had been fixing her makeup in. Xandra suddenly felt that same overpowering needas she had experienced on the bridge. Moving so quickly, she almost tripped over her own feet, Xandra made her way over to the mirror. She bent down to examine her reflection.

Her skin seemed unnaturally pale, due to the fact that her hair was a very strange color. Stark white with black tips, it fell untidily around herheart-shaped face. High cheekbones made her eyes seem to slant downwards. Her eyes, Xandra remembered, leaning forward to examine them more closely. The only thing that was different from XANA. They were so dark that they were almost black, but if she looked closer, she noticed that they were actually a very dark raspberry color.

"Wow," she said, tracing her lips. It was amazing. The face belonged toher, yet it might as well have belonged to a stranger. She did not recognize herself at all.

"Hey!" came the voice from the door. Elizabeth stormed in, looking sullen. "You better not have touched anything. Don't EVER touch my stuff, got it?"

"Sorry," Xandra said quickly, stepping back. Her new roommate strode past her to finish her makeup. A slightly awkward pause followed. "Um... so..." Xandracast around for a conversation topic. "Where should I put my stuff, Elizabeth?"

The girl scoweled. "Don't call me that!" she snapped. "No one calls me that. My name is Sissi." Sissi paused to apply mascara. "And stop looking at yourself in the mirror," she added. "You'd think that you'd never seen yourself before." How close she was to the truth.

* * *

**Yes, I know it's short. To make up for it, here's a sketch of Xandra.**

**EDIT: The sketch didn't work. Dunno why. Trying again.**

**i157. photobucket. com/albums/t71/threebluedolphins/Xandraimg1 .jpg**

**There. Hopefully that works this time. Remove the spaces.**

**This question does, in fact, pertain to the next chapter. Should there be any form of romance?**


	7. Mind if we join you?

**And we're back, on our normal schedule. Let me fill you in on the results of last week's vote. Both votes I recieved agreed that there should be romance in the story. However, Amaherst suggested XxW, while Sky said that the couple should be XxO. I found it impossible to choose which couple I would use, so I came to this conclusion.**

**I will write a love triangle between Odd and William. (Honestly, I couldn't be happier that this is how the votes turned out. I love writing love triangles.) Sometime in the eventual future, (not saying when, I don't know) I will ask you guys to vote on which person should win Xandra's affections.**

**Enough talk. On with the story.**

* * *

It did not take long for Xandra to get settled in. Principal Delmas promised that by the time that Xandra returned to the room in the evening, Jim would have her bed ready. Sissi did not look at all happy when he explained to her that she was going to have to make enough room for Xandra's bed, however.

"Here's your schedule," the principal said at last, handing Xandra a sheet of paper. Xandra skimmed the list. She got as far as Tuesday classes before giving up. Going to school here seemed like it would be a lot of work.

"Of course, you don't need to worry about going to classes today," Delmas continued, waving an airy hand.

"Thank you, sir," said Xandra, though privately, she wondered what she could do with her day off. After all, there was no hanging out in her room, and she didn't really know any off-campus place, aside from the factory. At last, she decided just to go to the library. After asking Sissi for directions, (which she was very reluctant to divulge. Xandra guessed that Sissi might be jealous because she still had to go to school) Xandra started off for the library. She got lost twice, ending up in a classroom by accident once, but eventually, she found her way into the quiet of the library. Xandra looked around the shelves for a book, at last choosing one by an author named John Green. She was halfway into chapter fourteen when the bell rang for lunch. Deciding that she may as well get something to eat, Xandra replaced the book in it's space on the shelf and left the library.

* * *

Thankfully, the lunch room was not difficult to locate. It only took Xandra a few minutes to find it. She pushed open the door and walked inside. Compared to the peacefulness of the library, the constant babble lunch room seemed to be almost deafening. Allowing her ears to adjust to the new noise level, Xandra got in line.

"Well, I haven't seen your face around here before," said an accented voice. Xandra looked up at the lunch lady, a heavy woman with a kind face. "What's your name?"

"I'm Xandra," Xandra replied. "I'm new here."

The woman smiled as she spooned a dollop of food onto Xandra's plate. "Welcome to Kadic, Xandra. I'm Rosa."

"Nice to meet you," Xandra mumbled. Rosa smiled again and turned to the next person in line. Xandra moved on.

Xandra looked around the packed lunch room. It would be difficult to find any place to sit. She noticed empty seats at Sissi's table, but one look at her roommate's face was enough to tell her that sitting down would be a bad idea. Instead, Xandra came up next to the Lyoko warriors' table. "Um, hi," she said, suddenly a little shy. "Would it be okay if I sat with you guys?"

"Yeah, no problem," said Odd, scooting over to give Xandra a space. Yumi, however, glared daggers. Jeremie did not seem to want her to sit down either.

Xandra recoiled automatically at this sudden hostility. "A-Actually, I changed my mind," she stammered. "Thanks anyway." She walked away quickly, and, knowing that there was no space for her elsewhere, went back up to the lunch line. "Uh, Miss Rosa?"

"Just Rosa," Rosa answered, still serving as she spoke to Xandra.

"Rosa," Xandra amended quickly. "Would it be okay if I just ate outside instead? The noise kind of bothers me."

Rosa paused for a moment, her ladle hovering above the next person's plate. "Y'know, no one's ever asked me that," she said thoughtfully. "Sure, why not?"

Xandra thanked Rosa before picking up her tray and heading outside. She sat down under the shade of a tree, feeling more than a little lonely. But no sooner than she had picked up her fork and begun to eat than a noise from nearby look up. Two figures were making their way across the courtyard to where Xandra sat. "Hi," Odd chirped, grinning at Xandra's expression. "Mind if we join you?"

"Yes," Xandra said. Odd raised an eyebrow. "I mean, no. I'd like-"

"We get it," Aelita said, laughing as she sat down next to Xandra. Odd sat down on the other side. As the two began to talk, Xandra sat silent for a moment, amazed about how good it felt to know that someone actually wanted to be around you.

* * *

**That's the end of this chapter. (I know that it doesn't seem like there was any romance at all in this chapter. It's very... subtle. There will be more in the next chapter, I promise.)**

**One last thing before this week's question. I don't know what to dress Xandra in. Any suggestions would be very helpful.**

**This week's question:**

**Should Xandra go to visit William in the next chapter with or without other Lyoko warriors?**


	8. Why do you trust me?

**As I'm sure that most of you are aware, I didn't update last week. This was because of Script Frenzy. It's a month-long contest. I've got to write 100 pages of script by the end of April. Plus I had a big paper to do, and I had to clean the house. Needless to say, my life has been incredibly busy as of late.**

**The votes were unanimous - Xandra is to go alone to see William. Now, back to our story.**

* * *

"... And so the waiter says, 'I don't have frogs legs-'"

"'That's just the way I walk'?" Xandra finished.

Odd looked up from his sketchbook and frowned. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," Xandra replied quickly. In reality, Xandra had no idea why she knew the punchline to Odd's favorite joke. This fact scared her more than a little.

Odd continued to frown in a puzzled sort of way. "It's more likely someone already told her," Aelita said, noticing his expression. "You do tell it to almost everyone you meet."

Odd shrugged, brightening as he tore the edges off of the picture he had just completed in the sketchbook. "Here," he said, handing it to Xandra.

Xandra took the sketch. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's a map," Odd explained, grinning from ear to ear. "You said that you got lost before, right? Now you can just use this."

Xandra examined the drawing. It was incredibly detailed, even showing where the trees and benches were in the park. "Wow," she breathed. "Thank you!"

"No problem," said Odd back, clearly pleased with himself.

"Hey," Xandra began delicately. "Do you guys think that you could tell me how to get to the hospital? I thought that I'd go see William, since I have the day off."

Aelita's face fell. "Um... Actually, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," she said.

Xandra stopped smiling. Just when she had begun to feel accepted, just as she was starting to forget the possibility that she might be nothing but an evil virus, the reality came crashing back. "Oh. Well, okay, I guess."

"It's not that we don't trust you," Aelita added quickly. "It's just that... Well... We can't really take the risk."

Xandra looked glumly at the ground. Aelita was right. Xandra hated that fact.

Odd, for some peculiar reason, seemed even more proud of himself than he had before. He stood up abruptly, brushing any stray grass off of his pants. "C'mon, Aelita. We've got to get to class soon."

Aelita got up, and, with one last apologetic look to Xandra, started back to the school. As Odd passed her, Xandra distinctly heard him whisper, "Look on the back," and felt his fingers brush the top of her head. Then, he was gone, trotting up next to Aelita and beginning to talk to her.

Xandra stared after them for a moment before turning over the page. There, scrawled in Odd's untidy handwriting, were the words

_Directions to the Hospital  
(I thought that you might like some answers.)_

Xandra quickly read through the instructions and grinned. Reminding herself to thank Odd once she returned, she set off toward the school gates.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Xandra stood outside the glass hospital doors, looking nervously in. _Maybe this was a bad idea,_she thought for the hundredth time. After all, maybe William wouldn't want to see her. But she had come all the way here, and part of her, the part not regretting every step she took in his direction, needed to know if he could tell her anything. They hadn't had much time to talk during their last meeting, and Xandra wondered whether he could give her the slightest clue to her blank past. Steeling her resolve, she marched through the sliding glass door and up to a woman sitting behind the information desk. "Uh, hi," Xandra said, feeling awkward. "I'm here to see William Dunbar."

The woman, a small lady with bleached-blonde hair, looked up from her magazine. "Sure. He's in-" She checked her roster "-room 215. Just take the elevator up to the second floor, then take a right."

"Thanks." Xandra headed in the direction that the lady had pointed and took the elevator up to the second floor. It took her awhile to find his room, despite the instructions she had been given. Xandra had the distinct feeling that, whoever she had been before, she had had a very poor sense of direction. At last, she arrived at the door marked 215. She knocked automatically, though it struck her as rather stupid a moment later. After all, it was a hospital ward, and William was in no condition to answer her. Embarrassed, she went inside.

William was propped up by some pillows, though whether or not this was a good or bad sign, Xandra did not know. He looked up as she came in. "Hi," he said, looking mildly surprised.

"Hi," Xandra responded a little shyly, pulling up a chair. "I came to see how you're feeling. I mean, I know we don't really know each other that well, or anything, but since it might be my fault that you're sick, I figured that I might as well, y'know, come and make sure that you're doing okay and everything."

William blinked. "You talk a lot, do you know that?"

Xandra blushed. "I'm sorry! I should be quiet, I..." She trailed away, glancing down at the floor.

"It's okay," William said, laughter in his voice. Xandra looked up and noticed that he was smiling. "I haven't had a lot of people to talk to. My mom and dad came for a bit, but that was just to make sure that my condition wasn't life-threatening before they took off back to America."

"What is your 'condition'?" Xandra asked.

William shrugged. "They're not sure. Whatever it was caused internal bleeding severe enough to fill my lungs with blood. But that's all fixed now," he added quickly, seeing Xandra's stricken expression. "They've closed all the bleeds, and I'm getting blood transfusions. In the meantime, they've put me on this medication that causes blood to clot while they try to figure out what caused this whole thing." He eyed her for a moment. "How did you get here, anyway? You probably don't know your way around very well, and Yumi made it clear that you're not getting anywhere within a hundred meter radius of me."

"They don't know," confessed Xandra. "Well, Odd does. He's the one who told me how to get here."

"Ah," William said knowingly. "Well, at least two of us trust you completely."

"Why do you trust me?" Xandra blurted. "How do you know that I'm not who they think I am? You said that my eyes are different, but what if that's a trick, designed by XANA to lure you into a false sense of security? I've watched most of the logs that Jeremie keeps, and XANA seems like he could pull a trick like that. All I'm saying is, how can you be so sure?" she finished.

William stared at her for a moment before speaking. "Well, in my opinion, you've just proved that you're not XANA. I mean, if you were a pawn that he created, why would he have you create any shadow of doubt in my mind? I seem a ready-made ally, and XANA would be too smart to push that away. And besides... I had a lot of time to think while I was in that... Other place." He shuddered, as if the memory still frightened him. "And I figured out a few things. I forgot all of the stuff that I learned when they brought me back, but it's been coming back to me. Anyway, now I just get these feelings about decisions and things and... I just feel like I should trust you."

Xandra felt a wave of gratitude for this show of faith. "So you really think that I'm not XANA?" she asked.

"Yes," William answered emphatically, his blue-grey eyes meeting her dark-red ones.

"Thank you," she said softly, getting up. "I've got to get back to the school. I'll come to see you again sometime, okay?" Xandra's hand accidentally brushed up against his.

"That sounds-" William broke away into a sudden fit of coughing.

"William?" Xandra stared at him, alarmed. "Are you okay?" William coughed again, peppering the white sheet with dark spots of blood. "Oh my god," Xandra whispered before dashing to the door. "Hey!" she called, sticking her head out. "Help!"

Two nurses came running. Xandra was ushered out the door by a third. "Is he going to be okay?" Xandra asked her.

"He'll be fine," she assured Xandra, though her face told a different story. "You're one of the kids from the boarding school, right? I want you to go back school. We'll telephone the principal with any news."

Too shocked and frightened to argue, Xandra obeyed. She had the distinct feeling that this was her fault.

* * *

By later that evening, Xandra was still feeling rather guilty. She had spent the rest of the afternoon pretending to read in the library until the end of class, and eating outside with Odd and Aelita at dinner. Now, it was near curfew, and she was getting ready for bed. Coming out of the bathroom in her pajamas, she met up with Aelita. "Oh, hello," Xandra greeted her.

"Hi," Aelita replied, hanging up her cellphone. "That was William, by the way," she said in answer to Xandra's questioning look.

Xandra's stomach turned over. "How is he?" she asked, as if she didn't know.

"Not too good, actually," Aelita told her sadly. "Something caused some of the bleeds to open up again. And the doctors still don't know what's wrong with him. But they've told him that he's stable for now."

"That's good." _At least I didn't kill him,_Xandra thought. _But what if I had? I certainly can't go back now._

"Oh, and he wanted me to tell you something," Aelita continued. "He says he'd like you to come back and see him sometime, if it's not too much trouble for you."

Xandra blinked. That had been unexpected, to say the least. She felt her spirits lighten at the fact that he didn't blame her. "Thanks for passing along the message," she said to Aelita, smiling as she stopped in front of her door. "See you tomorrow." She opened her door. As Principal Delmas had promised, Jim had set up her new bed opposite Sissi's. Sissi's things had needed to be rearranged to make room, and as a result, half of the room was jam-packed, while the other looked empty and sad. Sissi was already asleep, or at least appeared to be so.

Xandra sat down, feeling the fresh sheets crackle under her weight as she did so. A sudden wave of fatigue swept over her. Crawling under the covers, it did not take long for her to fall asleep.

* * *

_While she was asleep, Xandra dreamed of places that she had never seen, nor did she know where they were, yet they all seemed familiar. "They're memories," some part of her subconscious mind told her. But these memories were not her own._

* * *

**YAY! We finally have some of the main plot! **

**I think that this whole chapter proves that I watch WAY too much House. That was fun... Well, no, actually. It was just long. My hand kinda hurts. I should wrap things up.**

**This week's question: (This is a bit of a spoiler)**

**Whose memory should Xandra begin to recover first, Aelita's or Jeremie's?**


	9. Just give her a chance

**After a two week break due to uncontrollable circumstances, I'm finally back! I promise that this will not repeat itself for some time to come, okay? It's almost summer, the first hundred pages for my (eventual) webcomic have been written, and my enthusiasm to write has been renewed tenfold.**

**Okay. We have a tie. Again. To be honest, I was really expecting everyone to pick Aelita. But some chose Jeremie, and convinced my that this might be a better idea. I'm torn.**

**But the story must continue. It came down to my friend picking a number between one and ten. (Which, in case you were interested, was five.) It was an odd number. Xandra will recover Jeremie's memories first.**

* * *

_A whirlwind of images surrounded her. Distorted voices spoke from all sides. The noise was deafening. Desperate to stop this madness, Xandra searched wildly for one memory, any memory. She grabbed this and hung on, letting herself slip into it._

_"She" was staring out of the window of a large house, looking down at the people below. Across the street, a girl named Katie celebrated her eleventh birthday. But "Xandra" did not join. Emotions were laced into this part of the memory: sorrow, lonliness._

_"She" heaved a great sigh, turning away from the window, flipping a few pages of the enormous book absently to try to regain "her" place. After a moment of staring at the page, however, the text blurred beyond visibility. Warm tears trickled down "her" cheeks._

_"Jeremie?" There was a knock on the door, and a woman with long blonde hair and warm green eyes entered. (Xandra's mind pulled back for a moment in surprise. The memories belonged to Jeremie! Carefully, she felt her way back into the memory.) The woman's smile faded as she saw Jeremie/Xandra's tears. "Oh, Jeremie, hon," she said softly, setting down the plate of cookies on a stack of books and giving him a hug. "Are those kids being awful to you again?"_

_Jeremie/Xandra did not resist the hug, instead allowing himself/herself to cry even harder into his mother's shoulder. "They all hate me," he/she said, voice muffled slightly by her shirt sleeve. "I try so, so hard to make them like me, but they all still hate me."_

_"Oh, Jeremie," his mother said, stroking his/her hair. "They don't hate you."_

_"Yes, they do," he/she wailed, pulling away. "Everyone was invited to Katie's party expect for me. She said she doesn't want to hang around with nerds."_

_His mother bit her lip, as if even she couldn't think of anything to say to make him feel better in this situation. "Listen," she said at last. "Your father and I were discussing your options for your future. You've been offered a full scholorship at a place called Kadic Academy. It's your decsion whether or not you go. But I think that it would be a good idea. A fresh start would..."_

_But Xandra did not hear the end of this sentence. Instead, she felt herself falling backwards through grey mist, coming to rest..._

* * *

... in her bed back at the Kadic. Xandra woke with a start, gasping and panting as if she had just run a marathon. What a strange dream that had been. The images still fresh in her mind, Xandra quickly tried to burn them into her memory, but the harder that she tried, the less that the memory seemed to want to stay. After a few moments, Xandra gave up. Whatever it had been, it was gone now.

Xandra got out of bed, legs trembling slightly. Across the room, Sissi was also awake, already starting in on glaring at Xandra. Doing her best to ignore this, Xandra got up and got ready for her first day of school.

Ten minutes later, Xandra was headed downstairs for breakfast. Checking Odd's map to make sure she knew where she was going, Xandra trotted down the stairs and was about to start toward the cafeteria when she heard someone coming. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been much of a problem, but it was a voice that Xandra recognized. Ulrich was coming downstairs, talking angrily to someone on his cell phone. Xandra quickly ducked behind a doorway to a utility closet that Jim had carelessly left open and listened, peering through a crack in the doorway.

"...I'm saying is, you seem awfully worried about him, that's all," Ulrich snarled into the phone. A brief pause, and then, "Yes, I understand that you two are just friends, but..." Another pause, this one more drawn out. "I'm not jealous!" Pause. "Trust me, I'm not jealous. Really. I could care less who you do and don't date." Ulrich went pale, as if realizing what he had just said. "No, wait! I didn't mean it like that, I-!" Ulrich stopped talking abruptly, and Xandra knew that the person on the other end had just hung up on him. After a moment of silence, Ulrich sighed sadly and looked down at the floor.

Xandra felt a little bad for him, and, in her moment of pity, carelessly brushed against the handle of a mop. Said mop fell to the floor, with a resounding clatter. Xandra jumped, and tried to replace the mop, but it was too late. Ulrich had whirled around. "Who's in there? Odd, I swear, if that's you-"

"It's not Odd," Xandra said, stepping out of the closet.

Ulrich's angry expression loosened briefly with surprise, but darkened almost at once. "How much of that did you hear?" he demanded.

Xandra shifted guiltily. "A lot," she confessed. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, I just... I don't know..." She searched for a possible excuse.

To her relief, Ulrich saved her the trouble. He just sighed and shook his head. "It's fine," he said. "Sorry for getting so angry. I'm just a little frustrated, that's all."

Xandra nodded, feeling as if the words were not only directed at her. After a slightly awkward pause, she said at last, "Well, I guess that we should head down to breakfast."

Ulrich nodded. "Right."

"Oh, and Ulrich?" Xandra looked back at him, her dark red eyes full of a momentary knowledge. "She really does like you better than William. Yumi, that is. Just give her a chance." She headed off to the lunchroom, not knowing any more than Ulrich how she knew this. Later, she would look up to see Ulrich on his way out to join their group under the tree.

**

* * *

**

**This week's question: (Yes, this really is important)**

**This chapter was supposed to be longer. But I'm going to have to cut it down a little. I still have homework and my butt has gone numb from sitting here so long. **

**English class or Science?**


	10. Just a bit of a deja vu feeling

**No time to talk! This must be a short chapter, 'cause I just don't have the mental capacity today.**

**The votes were unanimous. We start in Mrs. Hertz' class.**

* * *

"Quiet down, class, quiet down," called the stern-looking woman with steel gray hair. "I said quiet!" she snapped at Odd, who was still chatting with Ulrich. Odd rolled his violet eyes and stopped, taking out a stub of a pencil instead and doodling in his notebook. Xandra suppressed a laugh. It was almost admirable how little attention Odd got away with paying to the teacher.

"We have a new student today," Mrs. Hertz stated in a voice entirely changed, sounding almost friendly. "This is Xandra Lee."

Xandra swallowed, feeling intimated by the students in front of her. Odd stopped drawing to look up at her. Seeing how nervous she seemed, he grinned and mouthed _Say something_.

"Um, hi," Xandra said shyly, giving a sort of half-wave before letting her arm drop to her side.

"Your seat is over there," Mrs. Hertz told her, pointing towards the back of the room.

Xandra nodded and made her way toward her seat. As she passed Jeremie's seat, she hesitated. Jeremie, who had been rummaging in his backpack for his calculator, looked up. "Yeah?" he asked, voice neither hostile nor friendly.

Xandra blinked. "Nothing," she replied. "Just a bit of a deja-vu feeling, that's all." She hurried to her seat and sat down.

Odd looked back at her, a look of concern crossing his face. But just as he seemed about to ask her something, the teacher rapped the board with a meter stick, and Xandra looked away. "Before the quiz, let's review the concepts of reflection and refraction..." Mrs. Hertz began. Xandra gazed at the equationson the board for a moment. They all seemed so complicated. Knowing that she needed to learn this sometime or another, Xandra was just about to get out a notebook when a neatly folded piece of paper landed on her desk with a slight noise. Xandra blinked in surprise before snatching the note up. _Xandra_, the outside read in familiar handwriting. She looked up and saw Odd looking back at her. She understood. Odd had timed it perfectly, had waited until Mrs. Hertz was facing away to throw the small piece of paper all the way back to Xandra. No one else seemed to care.

Xandra nodded to him before unfolding his note. _Are you okay?_ _You seemed a little shaken up._

Xandra smiled, touched that he was worried about her. Knowing that there was no way that she could possibly duplicate his actions, she instead caught his eye and mouthed _I'm fine_ before returning to her notes.

The time for note-taking, however, seemed to be over, since it was that very moment that Mrs. Hertz stopped talking and walked to her desk. "I'm passing out the quiz," she announced, starting around the room. She stopped at Xandra's desk. "I'm going to have you take the quiz, just to gauge where you are," Mrs. Hertz told her. Privately, Xandra thought that this was rather unfair, given that she didn't know any of the information. However, she simply nodded and was handed the test.

Xandra stared blankly at the page for a moment. _This is impossible!_ she thought, glancing around the classroom. Everyone else seemed hard at work, except for Odd, who was casually folding his paper into a paper crane. Xandra snickered, at looked back at the test. _Well, I can at least try, _she resolved, putting her pencil to her paper.

* * *

The classroom was abuzz with noise. Everyone was done with the test, and Mrs. Hertz was up at her desk, grading the papers. Xandra wished that she could move up to join Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich, but they were all supposed to stay in their seats. So, she was stuck back her instead, listening to others talk and watching as Mrs. Hertz' brow furrowed as she read a wrong answer. This particular test seemed to be causing her some distress, since her face looked to be frozen in a displeased expression.

The bell rang. Everyone stood to leave. "Just a minute," Mrs. Hertz called over the many voices of the students. "Jeremie, Xandra, please stay after class." Xandra's heart leaped. Had she really done that poorly on the test? She waited until the rest of the students had filed out before approaching Mrs. Hertz' desk. She seemed most upset about something, staring intently at the papers on her desk.

"Is there a problem, Mrs. Hertz?" Jeremie asked.

Mrs. Hertz looked up. "Yes, I'm afraid that there is," she said at last. "I cannot believe that this is happened. Xandra, on your first day here, and Jeremie, my best student, allowing this to happen..."

"Allowing what to happen?" Xandra asked.

Mrs. Hertz surveyed them, and expression of disappointment and anger etched into her aging face. "You cheated."

* * *

**One of these choices will set them more at odds with each other, while the other will bring them closer together.**

**This week's question:**

**Should Jeremie and Xandra both get a zero, or should they have to attend detention as well?**


	11. How is that possible?

**Okay, results:**

**They are both getting zeros on the test. Which means... Well, you'll just have to read it. (How is it possible that you guys seem to pick the route that makes more work for me?)**

* * *

Xandra's stomach dropped. "We... what?"

"Cheated," Mrs. Hertz repeated.

"But... But I didn't..." Xandra started to stutter out.

Jeremie cut across her. "And I wouldn't let anyone cheat off of me, much less _her_." He nodded to Xandra. Xandra glared at him, opening her mouth indignantly to reply, but never got a chance.

"I find that difficult to believe," said Mrs. Hertz.

"Why?" Jeremie countered. "Her desk is all the way in the back. Mine's in front. How would we possibly have communicated?"

"That may be the case," Mrs. Hertz said crisply, "but, under the circumstances..."

"What circumstances?" Jeremie demanded.

"You both got every question right on the test except for one. Which is the same question both of the tests. Which you missed for the same spelling mistake." She held out the two tests.

Xandra stared, dumbfounded. _It... It can't be!_ But it was. Somehow, they had both written the exact same thing on their papers.

"How...?" Clearly, Jeremie was just as shocked as Xandra was. "How is that possible?"

"It isn't," Mrs. Hertz replied. "The only possible solution that I can come up with is that, somehow, you two managed to find a way to cheat. I'm giving you both zeros on the test."

"Zeros!" Jeremie exclaimed, forgetting his shock momentarily. "But Mrs. Hertz-"

Mrs. Hertz glared at him sharply. "This is me being lenient! One more word out of you and it will be detention for both of you!"

Jeremie stopped talking, though he glowered at her.

"Now," Mrs. Hertz continued. "Please see that this doesn't happen ever again, or I will be forced to put it on your permanent records."

They both nodded - it was all that they could do - and left the room.

"I can't believe it!" Xandra burst out as soon as they were outside. "I mean, how could I have possibly-"

Jeremie cut her off. "I'm not quite sure how you did it," he answered. "But never do it again. I have a record to keep." He walked off, leaving a stunned Xandra in his wake.

* * *

**I can't write anymore today. Also, I'm going to be studying for finals the next two weeks, so I won't be here. Sorry. Question:**

**Should Xandra continue to dream about Jeremie's memories, or should we move on to someone else?**


	12. It bites?

**

* * *

**

Yes, I am aware that I was gone three weeks instead of two. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE!! I just needed to get that out. I'll stop abusing Caps Lock now.

**Xandra will move on to someone else's memories. **

**Let's get back to our story now...**

* * *

Xandra stared after him for a moment longer before heading to the lunchroom. How could Jeremie possibly think that she had cheated? It was impossible. "I have a reputation to keep." She hadn't done anything! Scowling, she wrenched open the door with much more force than waxs needed.

"What happened?" Odd demanded as soon as she walked in the door.

"What did she want?" asked Aelita.

Out of the corner of her eye, Xandra saw Jeremie sit down at his usual table, alone. "Mrs. Hertz _thinks _that I cheated," she said, loudly enough for Jeremie to hear. Jeremie did not appear to have been listening, however, though his grip on his fork tightened so that Xandra could see his knuckles turn white. "She thinks that I copied Jeremie's test."

Odd and Aelita gasped simultaneously and both started talking.

"How can she think-"

"You told her that you didn't cheat, right?"

"- I mean, you were all the way at the back of the classroom, and he-"

"-didn't she believe you? She's got to-"

"- complete idiot to think that you'd-"

"-and it's your first day, why would-"

"-you're not that type of person!"

Even though she couldn't really understand much with them both speaking at the same time, Xandra was comforted that her friends cared enough to be angry on her behalf. "It's fine," she assured them. "I'm not sure how it happened this time, but I'm sure it's not going to happen again. It's only one test, right?"

"I suppose," Odd mumbled, his face sullen for a moment longer before suddenly brightening. "Anyway, let's go get some food!" Odd half-walked, half-jogged toward the lunch line, brushing Xandra's elbow with his hand accidentally. Unknown to her, her subconcious mind stopped trying to recall Jeremie's memories.

Aelita rolled her eyes. "Odd, the walking stomach," she teased.

"A man's got to eat!" Odd called back.

Xandra chuckled, getting into line next to Odd. Then, a sudden burst of pain. Xandra let out a strangled cry. Her head felt like it was splitting in two.

* * *

_Now that she was back inside of a foreign memory, Xandra could recall the one from her dream last night. How strange, she thought, that she was back here. But last night, she'd been asleep. Today, she was wide awake. Xandra momentarily feared for her sanity before the memory overtook her. This one, she knew (though she could not explain how), was not from Jeremie. The mind seemed different, as if she could pick up part of the personality of the person while inside of their memory._

_The room was bright with the afternoon sunlight that was filtering through the windows. Brightly-colored wrapping paper littered the floor, and several new objects sat in front of "her", including a couple of action figures, a new sketch pad, some oil pastels, and an easel. (Someone's birthday, Xandra recognized faintly.) Across from "her" sat two people - a woman with dark brown hair in a loose ponytail, and a man who seemed vaguly familiar with tattoos covering his arms._

_"Okay, Odd," said the woman. (Xandra would have gasped if she could have. Odd's memory this time?) "We have one more present for you." She stole a sidelong glance at the man beside her, who nodded and picked up a large box that had been hidden under the table. The box had air holes cut into it. Odd/Xandra grinned excitedly, diving for it. He/She tore off the wrapping paper in a frenzy, and opened the lid to reveal..._

_A sleeping gray puppy curled in the corner of the box. As the light flooded in, it sleepily opened one brown eye and blinked up at him/her._

_"Happy birthday, sweetie," said the woman._

_"Thanks, Mom, Dad!" Odd/Xandra exclaimed, lifting the puppy out of the box. The puppy, unhappy at being disturbed from its nap, gave a tiny growl and bit Odd/Xandra's thumb, harder than a puppy ordinarily did. Razor sharp teeth pierced his/her skin._

_Odd's parents had become suddenly very quiet. "It bites?" Odd's dad asked at last._

_"W-Well..." Odd's mother began, clearly flustered, "they told me that the puppy is a little... he just doesn't know his own strength, that's all."_

_"I think that it judges its strength pretty well," Odd's dad said, gesturing to Odd/Xandra's now-bleeding thumb._

_"They were going to give it to the pound," she explained._

_"So you bought this dog-"_

_"They gave it to me."_

_"So you decided to give the little beast to our son? What exactly do you plan to name it? Vampire? Bitey? Dracula?"_

_"Kiwi," Odd/Xandra said suddenly, speaking up for the first time. Both of his parents looked at him/her in suprise. "His name's Kiwi." He/she ran a hand down Kiwi's back. Kiwi bit him again._

* * *

"...dra? Xandra? Are you okay?"

Xandra gasped as she returned to her senses. She was still standing in the lunchroom. Her friends were looking at her in concern. Realizing how strange her little episode must have looked, Xandra turned quickly to face the food in front of her. "I'm fine," she answered. "I just realized that I don't like any of this food. I think I'll just skip lunch."

Odd eyed her warily for a moment, seeming to steel himself to do something. "Yeah, I think I'll skip too," he said, setting down his tray. Aelita looked around at him in suprise. "You don't have to look so shocked. I'm just doing this once. Hey," he added, turning to Xandra, "you want to meet my dog?"

"Uh, sure," Xandra answered. Odd's face lit up. He led Xandra out of the cafeteria and up to the boys' dorm. "We're not supposed to be in the dorms during the day," he explained to her, holding a finger to his lips. "So we've got to be quiet."

Xandra nodded and slunk behind him as they made their way down the hall. Odd opened the door to his and Ulrich's room and went inside. Xandra followed, feeling a little awkward. Odd knelt down and opened the door to reveal a grey dog sleeping. "Hey, wake up, Kiwi," he mumured to the little dog. The dog opened his choclaty eyes, yawned widly, and got to his paws. He licked his owner's hand happily, tail wagging.

"Kiwi?" Xandra asked.

"Uh-huh," Odd said. "That's his name."

"But he doesn't bite," Xandra blurted.

Odd looked at her strangely. "No," he said. "He used to, though. It took me six months to train him not to." He picked up the small grey dog. "Kiwi, this is Xandra. Xandra, Kiwi."

Kiwi gave Xandra a quick once-over with his nose. It was very cold and wet, and his whiskers tickled, but Xandra stayed still. Satisfied, Kiwi gave Xandra's cheek a small lick before losing interest in her and picking up a pink ball. Xandra beamed, and glanced over at Odd. Odd did not hide his expression of relief quickly enough.

"What?" she asked.

"Well," Odd began a little hesitantly, "Kiwi usually knows when something's wrong with someone. Since he seemed okay, I thought that might mean that you were okay."

Xandra's smile faded. "I'm not so sure," she mumbled under her breath.

"What? Why?"

Xandra looked away. "You probably wouldn't believe me."

Odd was silent a moment. "Try me," he said at last.

* * *

**We are rapidly approaching our two plot paths.**

**Question: Should she tell him?**


	13. I'm so scared!

**I cannot believe that we are here! The chapter leading to the deciding question! No time to talk!**

* * *

Xandra gazed at Odd, her breath catching in her throat

Xandra gazed at Odd, her breath catching in her throat. Someone who would listen to her! Xandra moistened her lips, trying to think where to begin. _This is going to sound insane_, she thought.

"Xandra, I've been fighting a psychopathic virus inside a virtual world with my friends for the past three years." Odd gave her a strange little smile. "I doubt that anything will sound more insane than that."

Xandra blinked. "I'm sorry. Did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah, you did. Oh well." Odd shrugged. "Now, what is it?"

Haltingly, Xandra began her tale. "I think something might be wrong with me," she confided. "I keep having these flashbacks, but…" _Here it comes._ "… I don't think that they're _my_memories." Xandra paused, waiting for Odd to say something like "You're out of your mind!" or even to just simply get up and walk away from the raving lunatic. He did not, however, instead watching her intently, his expression one of deep thought. Xandra picked up her story, talking faster now.

"Like last night, I had this really weird dream. I was Jeremie, and some kids were outside and… And then this morning, I said something weird to Ulrich, and I have _no idea_ where it came from. And I knew the answer to that joke you made, and the test! The test that I should have failed, but it looked like I was cheating off Jeremie and… And…" Xandra gulped, realizing suddenly that hot tears were trickling down her cheeks. She was sitting down on Ulrich's bed, too, though she had no memory doing so. "I knew about Kiwi, too. That's why I asked why he didn't bite, because in the lunch room, I had this sort of… vision. I was you, and it was your birthday, and your parents gave you Kiwi. And I think… I think that _I_ might be doing this to William. I went to see him yesterday, and I touched his hand, and he started…" Xandra buried her face in her hands. "This all is my fault, and… I'm so scared!" she sobbed.

She felt the warm pressure of a hand on her shoulder. "Hey," Odd said soothingly, voice surprisingly soft. "It's okay. It's okay," he murmured to her. Xandra looked up at him with red, puffy eyes. "It'll be alright," Odd added, his face gentle, eyes full of concern. "Don't cry."

Xandra sniffled and wiped her eyes, grateful to him for trying to help. "Thank you," she whispered brokenly.

Odd gave her a small smile before offering her a tissue. She took this, and he stood. "I'll be right back," he said, after a moment's hesitation. He left the room, closing the door quietly as he left.

Kiwi, seeming to sense Xandra's distress, trotted over and perched himself in her lap. Xandra managed a watery smile, stroking his silvery fur while she waited for Odd. Now that she had stopped crying, Xandra felt a little stupid for doing so in the first place. _It must have been so awkward for Odd to deal with that_, she thought, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Before she had a chance to beat herself up about it too much, however, Odd returned to the room with Aelita, Ulrich, and – to Xandra's surprise – Jeremie at his heels. "What's going on?" she asked, looking curiously from one face to the next.

"Odd's concerned about you," Aelita explained. "So he asked-"

"More like demanded," grumbled Jeremie.

"-Jeremie to scan you in the super computer with the program he used for me a long time ago, just to make sure that the computer didn't have anything to do with it. Ulrich and I decided to come along just to make sure that you were okay."

Seeing Xandra's expression, Odd hastily added "This is assuming, of course, that you'd be okay with going. I can understand if you don't want to do it."

Xandra thought for a moment. She considered her past, which was nothing but blankness in the time before the Lyoko warriors had found her. _Maybe this will offer some clues as to where I came from and why I can't remember anything._ Xandra looked up at them. "Okay," she said.

* * *

"You can get out of the scanner now." Jeremie's voice crackled through the speaker system.

Xandra nodded, realizing a second later that there was no way that Jeremie could see this gesture. She stepped out, feeling like an idiot. She waited for Jeremie to direct her to come upstairs, but the order never came. "Jeremie?"

"…"

"Jeremie, can I come up?"

"… No, not yet. That's strange."

"What?"

"The computer is having trouble analyzing the data collected. It looks as though I'm going to have to send you to Lyoko and do a reading from there."

"Okay, then, let's do that."

"Not without an escort," Jeremie's voice was sharp. "I want to make sure you don't try anything on Lyoko. Ulrich's coming down now."

Indeed, Xandra did not have to wait more than a few minutes for the brown-haired boy. He got into a scanner across from her, and Xandra got back into hers. The doors slid shut, giving Xandra a brief feeling of claustrophobia.

"Transfer, Xandra. Transfer, Ulrich. Scanner, Xandra. Scanner, Ulrich."

"Virtualization."

* * *

**Here it is! The question!**

**Should Xandra be able to get onto Lyoko, or should there be a problem?**


	14. Can anyone hear me?

**Very short. But quite important.**

* * *

Bright light flooded the scanner, and a sudden gust of air whipped through, tossing Xandra's hair into her eyes. She squinted, still trying to see, but found this impossible. She shut her eyes and experienced a peculiar sensation. Something just beyond the surface of her skin seemed to be straining to escape, as if something was trying to pull whatever it was from her. Wind roared in her ears, but her heartbeat, which suddenly seemed much louder than normal, drowned it out. She was acutely aware of every beat, every breath that inflated her lungs. Xandra's body seemed heavy, so heavy, and the thing inside fought to escape from it. As the wind gave a powerful surge, it gave one last tug, then settled. All sound died, and the light dimmed, and, suddenly, Xandra was falling.

Xandra landed on her back and the ground beneath her lurched. Xandra's breath caught. It was moving, taking her elsewhere. Half of her wanted to open her eyes, to see what was going on, but she kept her eyes squeezed shut, afraid of where she might find herself. The moving floor took her a short distance before disappearing under her feet. Xandra's eyes snapped open as she was dumped unceremoniously to the floor a few feet down. Xandra tried to catch herself, but succeeded only in twisting her ankle. She hissed through her teeth, rubbing her throbbing ankle vigorously before looking about.

Xandra was surrounded by what seemed to be glass containers, all empty except for the one directly across from her, which contained-

"Ulrich!" gasped Xandra, leaping to her feet and regretting this instantly as her ankle gave a painful twinge. Ulrich's apparently lifeless body rested on the floor of the container. She started forward, only to bang her hands on glass. She realized with dismay that she, too, was trapped inside a glass container. She banged her fist against the side. "Ulrich!" she called. "Ulrich, are you okay?"

Ulrich did not stir nor reply.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Can anyone hear me? Hello! Jeremie? Someone?"

Only silence answered her. Xandra felt panic starting to creep over her. "Anybody! Help!"

No one answered. Xandra sank weakly to her knees. "Help," she repeated, softly this time, without much conviction. She was trapped in here, with Ulrich right there, possibly hurt, and no one could hear her. She had to get out. But how?

Xandra examined her container more thoroughly. It seemed to be made entirely of glass, except for the top, which had what looked to be a removable metal lid with a few controls on the inside. Xandra blinked, noticing this for the first time. She rose and stared at it. A keypad, two buttons, one green, one red, and a slot to plug something in. Xandra frowned thoughtfully. Maybe, if she could figure out the controls, she could get out. Her hand hovered hesitantly above the keypad. Just as she made up her mind to try, the tube suddenly roared to life. She jumped back, startled. The light was back, this time coming from the top. Xandra stumbled as the base of the container started to rise. She looked up and saw that the lid had come off to reveal a tunnel above. Across from her, Ulrich's body was also rising. The light grew brighter and brighter and…

Xandra found herself back in the scanner, steam billowing from the base. She stepped out shakily, and met the questioning gaze of Odd, Jeremie, and Ulrich.

"What happened?" Jeremie demanded.

* * *

**Question:**

**Should they believe her?**

**Oh, and should I change the name of the fic, since I now know the main plot?**


	15. I didn't mean to accuse her

**I actually made it on time! YAY!!**

* * *

Xandra could have fainted with relief. Ulrich was standing next to Odd, alive and well, if not confused. "You're okay, Ulrich?" she asked, just to be sure.

Ulrich frown. "Uh, yeah. Why would I be?"

"What happened?" Jeremie repeated.

Now that she had gotten over her initial relief, Xandra felt the first stirring of fear inside of her, an emotion that she had become all too familiar with lately. "I... I don't know," she answered.

"Don't you remember?" Jeremie asked.

"No, no, it's not that I don't remember, it's just... it was so strange." Xandra explained to them the room full of containers, how she and Ulrich had been trapped inside of them, and how she got back.

"Do you remember any of this, Ulrich?"

"No," Ulrich answered, frowning.

"Well, of course you wouldn't, you were unconcious. Actually, I thought you might be... Might be..." Xandra's hands were trembling. Odd, seeing how afraid she was, moved beside her and placed a steadying arm on her shoulder. Xandra was grateful. The touch seemed to help reconnect her with reality. Everything around her had seemed to be drifting away in a sea of shock and fright.

"So you didn't appear on Lyoko, and you instead were transported to another room that we've never been into?" Jeremie chewed his lip thoughtfully. "And Ulrich was there, but unconcious... Has the possibility occured to you that this didn't happen?"

"What?" Xandra was confused. "You mean, maybe I hit my head or something?"

"Well, that, or..." Jeremie suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Well, if XANA intended us to trust you, and he thought that the best way to do that was to convince you of your innocence -"

"Jeremie, what the hell!" Odd shouted. Both Jeremie and Ulrich looked around at Odd in surprise. Odd was not known for easily losing his temper. "Xandra's been through a lot, and here you are, suggesting that she..."

"I didn't mean to accuse her," Jeremie said, quickly backpedaling. "I don't think that _she_ thinks that she's created by XANA, I'm just saying that we have to be open to all possibilities. What if she was materialized in a different sector, the one that she was originally from, and to cover up the memory, XANA had designed this false on to-"

"Stop it, Jeremie," Ulrich told him, joining in. "Just leave her alone." Jeremie glared at him and shrugged, his way of agreeing to stop questioning Xandra for now.

"Can't you give her the benefit of the doubt?" Odd, clearly, was not ready to let this issue drop. "Why do you have to assume-"

"Odd," Xandra said quietly. Odd broke off and glanced over at her. She had tears sliding down her cheeks, but still smiled rather weakly. "It's okay. Jeremie's just trying to keep you all safe. He could be right, we never know."

Jeremie visibly deflated, his shoulders slumping. "No, I didn't really mean that..."

Xandra shook her head. "Yes, you did. But it's okay. And you didn't accuse me. You said that I believe in my innocence, which means that you believe that I am not lying. Thank you." She turned away, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Come on," she called to them. "Let's get back to the school."

The rest nodded and got in, riding up in silence. Outside on the bride, the sun was sinking lower in the sky. Xandra guessed that their expidition to the factory had taken at least an hour.

"Hey." Xandra turned to see that Odd had caught up with her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm okay, Odd."

"..." Odd seemed to contemplate whether or not to ask his next question for a moment before blurting out, "Why do you think that you didn't go to Lyoko?"

Xandra shook her head helplessly. "I don't know. I don't know why any of this is happening to me."

Odd didn't say anything for a moment. Neither did Xandra. They just walked in silence for awhile. Xandra stopped in front of the manhole that lead to the sewers. "I think that I'll stay here for awhile," she told the other three.

"I can stay if you want," Odd offered.

Xandra shook her head. "... I think I just want to be alone right now."

The trio left, Odd lingering to stare a moment longer before joining his friends. Xandra sighed and turned to look out over the calm landscape, wishing that it would reflect the turmoil within her.

* * *

**Question: Should she go straight back to school, or go to see William?**


	16. I was thinking

**I did mean to update last Thursday. I really, really did. But something came up, and then I was dragged off somewhere where there was no Internet, so... Yeah. Sorry. Here it is!**

* * *

Xandra had not intended in lying to Odd

Xandra had not intended to lie to Odd. She had honestly meant to head back to the school after having a few moments to clear her mind enough for human interaction again. But the more that she thought about what had just occurred, the more confused Xandra became. She scuffed the ground with the bottom of her shoe and started walking, mind racing. Why hadn't she gone to Lyoko? Why did she find herself in that strange room? And… could Jeremie possibly be right? Xandra didn't want it to be true, but… More and more strange things were happening. There was no way that this could all be coincidence. _Who am I?_ Xandra wondered_ Or… what am I?_

Xandra felt like crying, but figured that she'd done enough of that for one day. Besides, she thought that she was probably still too numb for her body to produce any more tears. Instead, she tugged at a loose string hanging off the white t-shirt that she always wore. It came away easily in her hand, taking with it a good two inches more of string. _It's all coming apart,_ Xandra thought dully. _Just like my world. _She pushed her hair out of her eyes. _Stop being so gloomy,_ she chastised herself. _You don't have time for self pity. You need to get a grip and figure out what's going on._

Xandra looked up and received a shock as she realized that she had somehow made her way to the hospital. She looked up at the nondescript white building and the red letters, and wondered if she should go inside. William was in there, and he had asked Xandra to come back to see him. And Xandra did want to see him, badly. Though she hadn't wanted to talk about it with Odd, she needed to tell someone what was going on in her head, or she might explode. And besides, she reasoned, William was involved somehow in all of this, and he deserved to know what was going on.

Making up her mind, Xandra marched purposefully through the sliding glass doors, pausing briefly at the desk, where the same woman sat. Xandra wondered if she should stop and sign in or something, but decided against it. After all, she already knew William's room number, and, she thought wryly, the woman looked rather busy, her nose buried in a new magazine.

Xandra took the elevator up to the second floor and turned onto a hallway, making her way to room 215. She knocked once, just as she had last time, before opening the door.

"Hey, William, I was just – Oh." Xandra broke off as she realized that William was not alone in the room. A man stood by William bed, and a woman sat in a chair nearby. The man had a sharp haircut and features to match. The woman's hair was long and matched William's blue-black shade exactly. Xandra realized that these two must be William's parents.

"I'm sorry," Xandra said quickly, starting to back out, her face flaming.

"No, it's okay," William's mother said, rising. "We were just leaving."

Her husband didn't look ready to leave. His eyes were still on his son. William stared right back, chin raised defiantly.

"Dear," the woman said, more forcefully this time. "It's time to go. William will want to speak with his friend without us around."

The man gave a tiny nod, almost imperceptible, as his eyes narrowed to slits. "We'll finish this later," he said, voice full of quiet rage, before following his wife out of the door, shutting the door rather harder than was necessary.

William passed a tired hand over his eyes before looking at Xandra for the first time since she had entered the room. He smiled rather wanly. "Sorry you had to see that," he said softly.

Xandra sat down at the foot of the bed and studied him. Though he looked a little paler, and a little more tired, he still seemed more or less healthy. Xandra found it hard to believe that he was in an intensive care unit.

"Uh, hello?" William was looking at her a little strangely. Xandra realized that she hadn't responded to him.

"Oh, sorry. I'm sorry that I interrupted. I hope that I didn't get you in any trouble."

"Trust me, I can do that all by myself," William said, relaxing into a real smile now.

"What was that all about, anyway?" Xandra wondered aloud, then immediately regretted this, wondering if she was prying into something that she shouldn't.

Luckily, William did not seem to mind. He shrugged and ran his fingers absently through his dark locks. "After yesterday, my parents were called back. They've decided to stay here until I get better."

William's tone was more than a little bitter. "Well, at least they care about you, right?"

William shook his head, his grey-blue eyes distant. "No, they don't," he told her quietly. "My father's really unhappy about it. He's only doing it because my mother wants to."

"Oh." Xandra was quiet. For some inexplicable reason, this made fire spark in her stomach. "So, he's going to come back and continue telling you that he doesn't care about your well being?"

"Yeah," William said dully. He frowned suddenly. "You didn't tell me you spoke English."

"I don't," Xandra answered.

"But he said that in English. He told me that we'd finish later."

This time, Xandra recognized the unfamiliar syllables of English, but her brain identified the meaning before she could even fully process the words. Xandra went cold all over.

"Are you okay?" William asked.

The words "I'm fine," were on the tip of Xandra's tongue. She ached to tell him this, to not add to his worries. But she knew that William needed to know what was going on, and she should be the one to tell him. "No, I'm not okay, actually," she confessed, dropping her gaze and speaking instead to the leg of William bed. "A lot has happened since I came to see you yesterday." She hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

"Like what?" William asked. Xandra glanced up and saw him looking at her, stormy eyes full of concern and caring.

That was all that it took. The recent events spilled from her. She told him about her dreams, how she somehow had gained access to Odd and Jeremie's memories. She explained about the problem that had occurred while analyzing her DNA code and Jeremie's attempt to send her to Lyoko. She told him of the room with the containers, how Ulrich had appeared to be dead. She confessed her fears that Jeremie's theory might be right, that she might have gone to Lyoko and had her memory replaced.

When she at last tapered into silence, William was gazing at her, clearly thinking hard. Slowly, he shook his head. "I don't think that you should worry about Jeremie's theory. I don't… I think that what you remember actually happened."

"Why?" Xandra asked, seizing the hope that he might be able to somehow confirm her story. "Do you remember something like that from…?"

William shook his head again. "No. That sounds nothing like _that place_." William shuddered unconsciously. "But I was just thinking about it logically. I mean, think about it. If XANA had created you, as Jeremie still seems to believe, and replaced your memory with a false one, why would that be the memory that XANA would pick? A room that none of us have ever seen before, and have no idea if it actually exists. Why wouldn't XANA just make it seem like you went to Lyoko but were invisible or something? And why include Ulrich in it? If anything, that would just make them more suspicious. No, I think what you remember did actually happen."

"You're reasoning is flawed, though," Xandra said dully. "What if XANA took into account that one of us would figure that out?"

William seemed to wilt a little. "That's possible, I suppose," he agreed at length. "But still, I think that's unlikely."

"Maybe," Xandra said noncommittally. In reality, she wanted to believe in William's theory more than anything, but wouldn't allow herself false hope. "Thank you for believing me, at any rate."

To Xandra's surprise, William's pale cheeks were slightly touched with pink as he answered quickly, "It's nothing. Like I said, I just feel like you're someone I should trust. I was thinking… I was thinking, maybe I've been wrong this whole time. Maybe it wasn't XANA I saw in _that place_. I don't really remember much of it. Maybe I met you in there."

Xandra frowned. "I… I doubt that, William. I mean, I guess it's possible, but…"

"If I could just remember," William said, more to himself than to Xandra. "I wish I could… Hey…" He looked up at her, clearly forming an idea. "Hey, didn't you say that when you touched Odd, you started to receive his memories instead of Jeremie's?"

"Ye-es…" Xandra was beginning to see where this was going.

"Why don't you try it with me?" William asked, holding out a hand.

Xandra recoiled automatically. "No, William, I… I don't think…"

"Why not? It might help you uncover some part of your past."

"But William, I think that… I think that I might be causing your attacks. Like yesterday, when I touched you and…"

"I'll be fine," William said impatiently, as he began moving toward her.

"No, William, I-" But Xandra did not get to finish her sentence, for right then, William slipped his hand into hers. Xandra felt something similar to an electric charge course through her body and tried to pull away. But instead, she found herself holding on tighter as the strongest torrent of memories yet swept her away.

_This time there was no choosing the memory. Xandra found herself moving with a purpose toward one particular memory and diving in._

_Xandra could not open her eyes. She knew for a fact that she was inside of William's body, though where they were, Xandra had no idea. Wherever it was, it was somewhere that William did not want to be, because his eyes were tightly shut. He was curled into a fetal position, and somehow, they seemed to be floating. Xandra could tell that his skin was bare, and the chill was penetrating._

_A slight noise broke the otherwise undisturbed silence. A steady rush of air, like wingbeats. Something inside William stirred. Fear. The emotions that William experienced were more intense than any other Xandra had known thus far. It was nearly overpowering. William did not want to open his eyes. He wanted with every particle of his being to keep them shut. But he could not. His/Her eyelids opened of their own accord._

_Utter whiteness surrounded them. There was nothing except for cold and fear and white. Xandra realized that this must be what William called _that place_. In the distance, Xandra could just make out a figure moving slowly toward them on black wings. As they watched, the figure came to a stop some distance away, and "walked" toward him/her, wings aloft so that the shadow covered most of the face. Finally, when the figure – a girl, Xandra could now see – was no more than a few meters away, she lowered the great black wings._

_(If Xandra could have, she would have screamed. As it was, shock almost tore the memory from her, so that she had to concentrate hard to pull herself back into it.) The girl was her._

_She was dressed in a black lacy skirt with a corset the color of blood. She wore no shoes, and an ebony earring dangled from one ear. Her wings, twice the size of her body, were folded neatly behind her back. On her forehead was the Eye of XANA._

_(Xandra reeled. _Jeremie was right,_ she thought numbly. _Jeremie was right. I was created by XANA.)

_The other Xandra moved closer, and Xandra saw for the first time the only difference between them. While her eyes were a deep, rather disconcerting red, this girl's eyes were jet black, as cold and emotionless as the rest of her. Maybe…_ (Maybe it's not me._ Xandra latched onto this feeble hope and clung to it. _It can't be me. It isn't. It can't be.)

_As Xandra watched, the girl smiled at William, though it did nothing to soften her features. If anything, it made her look even colder, crueler. "Good afternoon, William," she said softly. (A chill ran down Xandra's back. It – whatever it was – even had her voice.) "Stand up. How are you feeling today?"_

_William/Xandra did not answer. He/she uncurled himself/herself until he/she "stood" next to her. But he/she did not stand tall. His/Her shoulders slumped, his/her head hung low. He/She did not meet her eyes._

"_Quiet," the other Xandra answered for him when he did not reply. "That's good. You're learning obedience. Keep it up and I may actually let you watch as you conquer those you once called friends. Speaking of which, I'm expecting a visit from them sometime this afternoon. Care to assist me in battle? You could get a few good blows in for yourself. Maybe in a Kankrelot or a Blok…"_

"_No," William/Xandra said, speaking for the first time. (Xandra noticed the definite note of defeat in his voice.)_

_The other Xandra smiled thinly. "Honesty. Very good. You're learning that it does not pay to lie to me. Actually, I didn't really intend on letting you fight, anyway. After those two little incidents with Yumi, I won't be letting you anywhere near any sort of body anytime soon."_

"_Then why did you ask me?" William/Xandra burst out._

_The thin smile disappeared. "Speaking without me requesting for an answer. Clearly, there are a few lessons that I still must teach you. I asked you, William, because I wanted to see if you had learned the lesson of honesty yet. You managed to pass that test." The girl walked a few steps forward until she was standing directly in front of him. She reached out and laid one pale hand on William's cheek. Somehow, though everything around them was already cold, her hand was coldest of all. It seemed to pierce right through his/her skin into his bones, chilling him/her deep. "Someday," the other Xandra told him, "you'll learn to obey me and I can allow you back into your body. Until then-" she withdrew "-I shall continue playing puppeteer. Goodbye, William." She spread her wings and took off, leaving William to curl himself into a ball and shut out the nothing all around him._

* * *

Xandra opened her eyes. It took her a minute to remember where she was. When she did, she looked around at William, ready to tell him what she had learned, but instead saw him doubled over, clutching at his chest. "William?"

William looked wildly up at her, mouth open as though gasping, but clearly not getting air.

Xandra released his hand and leapt to her feet, sprinting toward the door. "Nurse!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Somebody, please help!"

A group of nurses came hurrying in. "He's having trouble breathing!" one said.

Two others rushed to William, while a fourth led the sobbing, trembling Xandra outside. "What's wrong with him?" Xandra demanded.

"Looks like congestive heart failure," the nurse explained. "Basically, it means that there's excess fluid around his heart, making it difficult for him to breath."  
Xandra sobbed harder than ever. "Don't worry," the nurse added quickly. "We'll make sure he's okay. Why don't you wait out here?" She led Xandra out to the waiting room, helping her sit down in an armchair before bustling away.

Xandra put her face in her hands. _I'm doing this to him_, she thought. _This is all my fault._

* * *

**Question: Once she hears that William's okay, (sort of a spoiler, sorry) should she stay around and see him again or go back to school?**


	17. Don't cry

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was over at someone's house. This week's chapter will be rather short.**

**We have a tie again! And I choose... She sticks around to see him.**

* * *

Xandra was informed later that it was only forty-five minutes before she was allowed to return to the room. It had felt like hours. If her hair hadn't already been white, Xandra wouldn't have been surprised if she gained a few grey hairs during the experiance. As it was, she sat alone in the waiting room, feelings of anxiety and guilt washing over her.

Finally, a nurse walked out. "Are you Xandra?" she asked Xandra in a soft voice.

Xandra nodded. "Is William okay?"

"He's fine," the nurse assured her. Xandra breathed a sigh of relief and started to get up so that she could head back to the school. "He asked to see you," added the nurse.

Xandra hesitated. She felt awful for causing this - she was sure of it, now. Somehow, her mere presence was making William ill. But William had asked to see her... Would it be rude to leave without even checking on him? "Alright," Xandra sighed, speaking more to herself than the nurse. Xandra walked briskly down the hall and quietly opened the door to William's room.

His eyes were closed when she entered, but snapped open as soon as he heard the door close. "Xandra," he said. His voice was a little hoarse, so he cleared his throat at tried again. "Xandra. I'm glad you stayed."

"I... I wouldn't leave you. Not like that," Xandra told him, moving a little closer to the bed. Tears began leaking out of the corners of her eyes once again as she saw how pale he looked.

"Don't cry," William said at once, reaching up as if to wipe the tears away.

Xandra backed quickly away from him, shaking her head vigorously. "No, William, I... This is my fault, William. We can't deny it. I'm the one making you sick like this."

William gazed at her for a moment more before letting his hand drop back onto the bed. "I... I guess that's true, then," he stated at last, sounding as if each word were painful. "Why?"

"I don't know. I don't _know._" Xandra sniffled and wiped a tear away with her thumb. "We'll have to figure that out. For the meantime... I probably should make this my last visit."

"No," William objected quickly, sitting up a little, then looking as though he regretting doing so. "No," he repeated. "Nothing happened until we came in physical contact, right?"

"Except for the first time," Xandra corrected miserably.

"Well, maybe the first time was just a fluke or something," William said impatiently. "What I mean is, as long as I don't touch you, I'll be fine, right?"

There was a long pause. "Well, maybe, but... I don't want to take that risk."

"Well, I do," William told her firmly. "And I'm the one who's sick." He paused again. "My... My parents will be here soon."

"Oh." Xandra took this as a request that she leave. "Okay. I'll see you later." She started for the door.

"Xandra," William called, stopping her. "Come back and see me, okay?"

"Okay," Xandra answered, having no intention of putting William's life in any further danger.

"Xandra," he called again. Xandra looked back at him and saw a small smile on his face. "I mean it. Promise you'll come back."

Xandra relented. "Fine," she promised. "Just don't try to kill yourself again, alright?"

"Deal."

Xandra left the room, her emotions no clearer from her experiance, but her heart lighter as she trotted back to the Academy.

* * *

**As you may have guessed, Xandra's going to be in a lot of trouble when she gets back. Should she try to make up and excuse for Delmas, or just let him punish her?**


	18. None of your business

**Yay! My first chapter on time in... forever.**

**Anyway, both votes agreed: She will try to make up an excuse to tell Delmas.**

* * *

Xandra stopped just outside of the gate. She had been having a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something the whole time she'd been walking back. Now the realization began creeping over her. It had been just past twelve when she left the school. The time was now nearly three. She'd been gone for hours. A sinking feeling crept over her. Worried about this prospect of facing consequences, Xandra trudged toward the school.

Xandra knew immediately when she saw the scene in front of the dormitories that she was in big trouble. Delmas and Jim were glaring down at a very defensive-looking Odd. Odd glanced over at her and gave a little apologetic shrug. Xandra knew immediately that he had tried and failed to cover for her. If it was possible, Xandra's feeling of guilt increased.

Delmas and Jim followed Odd's gaze and noticed Xandra. "Lee!" barked Jim. Xandra flinched at the sound of her fabricated last name. "Get over here."

Xandra obeyed. "Ms. Lee," Delmas said, usual pompous tone replaced with quiet anger. "Would you mind explaining to us where you've been for the past few hours?"

"Yeah, 'cause Della Robbia told us that you were in the infirmary," Jim added, glaring at Odd who glared right back. "But he wasn't expecting that we'd actually check."

"I..." Xandra began, her mind blank as to anything to say. But she needed to tell them something, and she couldn't just let Odd take the fall for her. "I told him to tell you that if you asked."

Both adults looked unsurprised. "Where were you?" Jim demanded.

"I was visiting William," Xandra told him truthfully.

"Why didn't you ask for permission to go?" Delmas asked.

"I'm sorry," Xandra said. "I really wanted to see him, and I was afraid that if I asked, you wouldn't let me go."

"But why go in the middle of the day?"

For once, Jim had managed to ask a question that was vaguely intelligent. One that Xandra did not have a ready answer for. She stuttered, trying to think of some excuse.

"I told her we didn't have any afternoon classes," a voice rang out.

All four of them jumped and turned around at the same time. Sissi stood in the doorway to the dormitories. "She lost her schedule and asked me to tell her our classes. I told her that we didn't have anything this afternoon."

Xandra knew it was incriminating, but she couldn't help but gape at Sissi. Why was she doing this?

Delmas recovered first. "Elizabeth! Why would you do that?"

"I didn't like that I had to share a room with her," Sissi said, looking away as though ashamed. "I guess I was just jealous. I'm sorry, Daddy."

Delmas softened. "I'll have a talk with you later, Elizabeth. And you, Ms. Lee," he said, turning to her. "See that this doesn't happen again. Jim..." And they left.

"Why did you...?" Xandra started to ask.

"None of your business," Sissi sniffed. "And I won't ever do it again." She stalked off, leaving Odd and Xandra in her wake.

"That worked out nicely," Odd said, grinning crookedly at Xandra.

"Yeah," Xandra agreed, still wondering what motive Sissi would have to help her.

* * *

**We're going to kick the story up a notch soon as far as pace. But for now, I still have a couple of more minor questions.**

**Xandra's got to explain what happened at the hospital to the group. Should she just tell Odd so that he can tell the others, or go to a group meeting in Jeremie's room?**


End file.
